Compare the2024 Honda CivicVS 2024 Toyota Prius

The Honda Civic has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Prius doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Prius’ side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Civic second among compact cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Prius isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

As tested in Motor Trend the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota Prius 2.0:

Both the Civic and Prius have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Civic has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Civic has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius AWD’s standard fuel tank (12.4 vs. 10.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Civic has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius FWD’s standard fuel tank (12.4 vs. 11.3 gallons).

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Prius doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Civic stops much shorter than the Prius:

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Prius (215/50R17 vs. 195/60R17). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius (235/40R18 vs. 195/60R17).

The Civic LX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Prius LE’s standard 60 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Prius XLE/Limited’s 50 series tires.

The Civic has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Prius; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the Prius Limited pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Touring Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Prius Limited (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

The Honda Civic may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the Toyota Prius.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Civic Touring Sedan is quieter than the Prius Limited (75 vs. 76 dB).

The Civic has 7.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (99 vs. 91.2).

The Civic has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 2.6 inches more rear legroom and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Civic’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Prius’ headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Civic has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Prius has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/Limited.

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Prius doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

The Honda Civic comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Toyota Prius isn’t available as a sedan.

Insurance will cost less for the Civic owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Civic will cost $755 less than the Prius over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Civic will be $208 to $2999 less than for the Toyota Prius.

The Honda Civic outsold the Toyota Prius by over five to one during 2023.